Wateen Telecom CEO participates in Conference on Entrepreneurship & Business Acceleration Program (BAP)-2012

Two day event on “Role of Quality Universities in Supporting Entrepreneurial Eco-System” held on 17th & 18th December 2012

Lahore (Tuesday, December 2012) – Wateen Telecom, Pakistan’s leading converged communications provider, was invited to participate in the prestigious Entrepreneurship & Business Acceleration Program (BAP)-2012 conference, held in Lahore, from 17thand 18th of December 2012.

SME Business Support Fund (BSF) is a “Not for Profit Company” established by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan to assist both the SMEs and the Business Development Services Providers (BDSPs). Focusing on issues pertinent to entrepreneurship and development of the small scale businesses, this event was specifically targeted at gathering individuals from the government, members of the business community, NGOs, academia, agencies supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, financial institutions and other international development agencies.

Wateen’s CEO Naeem Zamindar moderated discussion amongst some of the leading names from the micro finance sector, private equity amongst others. The panel included Saqib Mohyuddin, CEO Business Support Fund, Roshaneh Zafar, Founder, KASHF Microfinance bank, Mohammad Sajid, Partner JS Private Equity and Shaharyar Ahmed, CO Head of Growth Equity Investments, Cyan Ltd. Later Naeem Zamindar was also part of the adjudicating panel for the BAP (Business Accelerated Program) presentation.

Commenting on the BAP conference, Mr Zamindar said, “It was a great honour for me to represent Wateen at this incredible event. It is fantastic to see that opportunities for entrepreneurs are growing in Pakistan and we are collectively working towards enabling a new era of economic and social development in the country. SME empowerment, structural reforms, good-governance and HR training can help reinvigorate the national economy and the SME sector rapidly”.

Under the theme of “Role of Quality Universities in Supporting Entrepreneurial Eco-System”, the Conference’s focuses was on developing an in-depth understanding of the current dynamics and devise the most viable strategy for empowering and facilitating SME stakeholders. This conference proved to be another collective effort, towards recognizing and optimizing the potential of the SME sector in Pakistan, for generating sustainable business growth and opportunities.

Amongst the dignitaries attending the event were Mr Azhar Rizvi Voice Chair MITEFP, Mr. Adul Aziz CEO LumenSoft, Mr. Monis Rehman CEO Naseeb networks and Mr. Salim Ghauri CEO Netsol Technologies, in addition to a number of state officials. Numbers of foreign dignitaries were also present at the conference.